‘Going back would be abuse’: AFC’s Laura George likens coalition return to toxic relationship

Member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Laura George, has been warning supporters that re-entering a coalition arrangement with the Aubrey Noron-led APNU would be the same as returning to a toxic relationship, insisting the party can go alone.

George, in public comments on her social media platform and commenting under others, has rejected calls from some quarters for a revived alliance, saying it would only lead to more harm than good.

“To those who feel it’s better in any other form… It’s like thinking about getting back into an abusive relationship, believing that this time around it’s going to be different. Well, no — it don’t usually be,” George, who is the Advisor to the leader of the AFC on Indigenous Affairs, said.

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The AFC had formed an alliance with APNU for the 2015 elections when they were elected to government, but the party was significantly sidelined and had accused APNU of not sticking to arrangements made. In fact, the swearing in of the Prime Minister (the AFC candidate Moses Nagamootoo) had to wait for days when then newly-elected President David Granger chose to swear in his Minister of State first. Also, it was promised that Nagamootoo would chair Cabinet meetings, but that didn’t happen.

And that’s likely what George pointed out recently, stating, “many of you know what happened as a result of the coalition — though few want to be truthful about it.”

When the agreed-upon timespan of their Coalition expired, the AFC chose not to renew it. Ahead of the September 1, 2025, elections, there have been several rounds of negotiations to revive the Coalition but that has not materialised. APNU accused AFC of going berserk and making unreasonable demands.

There are those in the AFC who believe that even if a Coalition, with APNU controlling the list of candidates, the AFC could be locked out, and the number of seats it is allocated in parliament and regional bodies could be limited and even reduced from what is agreed to.

Geroge had reminded supporters of the AFC’s original mandate as a “third force” in Guyanese politics, stating, “the vision of the founders of the AFC was always to be an independent political force.”

AFC went ‘berserk’ during Coalition talks – PNC executive

Editor’s Note: This article initially stated that Laura George was an Executive Member of the AFC. It has since been updated.